No other way to do it, but removing and replacing the end caps isn't as big of a deal as it might appear. Drill out the rivets and the end caps will come off pretty easily. Maybe little bit of prying involved. I tied the shock cord to the ends of battens and was able to push the cord from one end to the other. Here's a link to a diagram I found on the Mariner Sails web site: http://shop.mariner-sails.com/Hobie-20- ... s_c470.htm. The end caps don't bear any weight so you can use aluminum rivets to secure them back in place. Aluminum rivets can be pulled with inexpensive riveters such as those found at Home Depot or Lowes.

I use 3/16" drill bits to drill out the rivets. Some people use 1/4", but I use the smaller size because I worry about making a mistake and inadvertently enlarging the hole. You'll basically drill until the exterior part of the rivet, the "flange" maybe you'd call it, is cut free from the portion that's down in the crossbar, then you push the lower part through. A phillips head screw driver should work nicely. When you take the end caps off, tie a rag onto the end of a batten or some other pole and push it through the crossbar to sweep it out.

You actually run more of a risk oversizing the hole when you use a drill which is the same diameter as the rivet than you do using a larger drill. If you use the 3/16" drill, you will have a harder time knowing when you've drilled through just the head of the rivet. With the larger drill (I usually use anywhere from 1/14" up to 1/2") the rivet head will be fully removed from the rivet body. Anyway, its best to have several drill sizes available.